Jota: Golden Goal was the best way to win ePL title

Diogo Jota said his Golden Goal win over Trent Alexander-Arnold in the ePremier League Invitational final was a fitting way to conclude the tournament.

After going behind to Georginio Wijnaldum's first-half header, Jota had to battle his way level against the Liverpool right-back.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers striker had scored 13 goals on his way to the final but found Alexander-Arnold’s defence much harder to break down.

He finally equalised through his own in-game character's brilliant backheel assist to Adama Traore to finish the 90 minutes at 1-1.

This sent the final to a second match, to be decided by a Golden Goal. Jota had one shot cleared off the line before hitting the bar, but ultimately won it thanks to a 67th-minute strike from Raul Jimenez.

"Congratulations to Trent, he’s a good player, and congratulations to Wolves – we won," Jota said.

"Trent is a very good player and that’s why the final was so tight. I reached the final third quite often, but he was always guessing what I was going to do before I shot, so it was a very tough game.

"This is the best way to finish the tournament. It can be unfair, but in this case it wasn’t because I did play very well in the second match. It was a tight game and it could have gone either way, but I was closer to winning by the Golden Goal."

Frustration for Trent

Alexander-Arnold was frustrated, but praised Jota for his victory.

"It’s been a good tournament," he said. "I was happy to get to the final and I’m obviously gutted not to win it, but Diogo did really well.

"It was a good game. He’s very difficult to break down and he’s patient defensively. I did quite well against him, but he probably deserved to win that last game because of the chances he created."

ePL Invitational success

The tournament was shown across the Premier League’s digital platforms, as well as by Sky Sports and the BBC. The majority of the League’s international broadcast partners also screened the matches, ensuring fans around the world could tune in and enjoy the action.

"The ePL Invitational tournament has been a big success, entertaining fans during these challenging times, and I offer my congratulations to Diogo Jota after being crowned champion," Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said.

"A big thank you to everybody who competed and to our broadcast partners for the support they have given the tournament. We had a really strong line-up of players and the competition was incredibly popular with fans, both here in the UK and around the world."

Day 5 results

Semi-finals
Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) 3-2 Raheem Sterling (MCI)* | Report and highlights

Diogo Jota (WOL) 4-1 Dwight McNeil (BUR) | Report and highlights

Final
Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) 1-2 Diogo Jota (WOL)* | Report and highlights
*Golden Goal

Prize fund to NHS

The prize fund for the ePL Invitational is being donated to the #PlayersTogether initiative, created by Premier League players as a collective way of generating funds for the National Health Service and distributing them where they are needed most.

Match replays

Fans can relive the action from all the ePL Invitational matches on the Premier League's YouTube channel.

We would also ask anyone inspired to play FIFA 20 to take regular breaks from gaming, every 45 minutes.